South Korean President Detained on Second Attempt: What He Is Accused of
Date: 2025-01-15 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WORLD
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was previously impeached, was detained on Wednesday, January 15, during a large-scale law enforcement operation at the presidential complex, The Associated Press reports.
It is noted that before Yoon was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, he recorded a video message in which he complained that "the rule of law has completely collapsed in this country."
The Office of the Prosecutor General for High-Level Corruption said that Yoon was detained on the second attempt for declaring martial law in the country on December 3.
The article says that Yoon was seen getting out of a car after arriving at the anti-corruption agency office in the neighboring city of Gwacheon. After the interrogation, he was to be taken to the Uiwang Detention Center near Seoul.
Yoon could be held for weeks, the newspaper reports. The anti-corruption agency has 48 hours to file a request for a court order for his formal arrest, and if it fails to do so, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators can hold him for up to 20 days before handing the case over to prosecutors for indictment.
The presidential impeachment case is currently being heard by the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or reject the case and reinstate him, the newspaper reports.
South Korea's acting leader, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, has called on law enforcement and presidential security to ensure that there are no "physical clashes."
Meanwhile, Park Chan-dae, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led the legislative campaign that led to Yoon's impeachment on December 14, said the president's detention was "the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and implementing the rule of law."
